Diagnosed with cerebral palsy, boy will undergo stem cell infusion

With only two weeks to go before Corvallis residents Jinger and Mark Cain take their 4-year-old son, Dylan, to Durham, N.C., for what they hope will be a life-changing infusion of stem cells, the couple are "getting really excited."

"We're going to leave May 23, the infusion will take one or two hours on May 26, and we meet with a neurologist on May 28," Mark Cain said. "We will fly home Friday" (May 29).

Dylan was oxygen-deprived at birth and later was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Although he has made amazing progress due to intensive daily therapy, he remains legally blind, cannot walk on his own and has a vocabulary of fewer than a dozen words.

At birth, the Cains banked Dylan's umbilical blood, from which stem cells will be extracted by the Duke University School of Medicine staff. The stem cells will be infused back into Dylan's own system. Thousands of similar procedures have taken place around the world, especially in China, with many patients experiencing marked medical improvements.

The Cains were recently told that Dylan had been accepted into the Duke program, but it's going to cost about $19,000 for the procedure, follow-up and travel for the family.

To assist the family, the Oregon State University women's volleyball team will host a "Wine and Dine" benefit dinner June 1 at the Aqua Seafood Restaurant & Bar, on First and Monroe.

Hors d' oeuvres will be served at 6:30 p.m. and dinner is at 7 p.m.

The $100 ticket - which is tax deductible - includes a meal with a preset menu and service donated by Aqua, fine wine, and membership to The Spikers, the OSU volleyball team's booster club.

Checks can be made out to Sparrow for Dylan. To learn more about Dylan's life story, visit www.help4dylan.org or http://home.comcast.net/~dylancc/.

RSVP by purchasing a ticket in advance by calling Laura Benzing at 737-7707 or laura.benzing@oregonstate.edu, or Lisa Little at 207-4694 or hydrangea4@yahoo.com.

Alex Paul can be contacted at alex.paul@lee.net or by calling 758-9526.